20th anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings

20th anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings

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and31

Original Poster:

4,165 posts

142 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
20 years ago already tomorrow-my wife brought it to my my attention last night-I was heading into London on the 7th July 2005, saw the gantry signs saying “ london closed-turn on radio!” Not seen much in the mainstream media about this so far-

fathomfive

10,513 posts

205 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
I was working for Network Rail at the time and on a train to the Glasgow office when it happened.

Getting on at Darlington with everything normal turned into getting off at Glasgow with armed police everywhere.

A sombre and sobering day.


Lefty

18,218 posts

217 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
Watching the new Netflix documentary just now, it’s pretty good and brings it all back.

and31

Original Poster:

4,165 posts

142 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
The thing that always stuck in my head was the South African guy that said to the bloke with his legs blown off
“I’m ex military, I’ve never lost anyone yet, and I’m not going to lose you”
Said this to my wife yesterday and she saw them both on this morning or something similar last week.people like this should be awarded an MBE or OBE.

Halmyre

11,939 posts

154 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
and31 said:
The thing that always stuck in my head was the South African guy that said to the bloke with his legs blown off
I m ex military, I ve never lost anyone yet, and I m not going to lose you
Said this to my wife yesterday and she saw them both on this morning or something similar last week.people like this should be awarded an MBE or OBE.
This here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedgvg3elx2o

Simultaneously unlucky and lucky both at the same time.

We were on holiday in Australia, sitting down to dinner at a friend's house. The television was on in the corner, sound off, and only I could see it, news headlines were on. I was just about to say something when my wife nudged me and said something about not paying attention and I said "sorry, but something's happened in London".

tr7v8

7,437 posts

243 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
Company I work for had just bought a warning system which phones all the staff. It triggered for this and we were all ordered home.
A friend of my wife lost a foot in one of the bus explosions, so all pretty close to home.

heisthegaffer

3,851 posts

213 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
and31 said:
The thing that always stuck in my head was the South African guy that said to the bloke with his legs blown off
I m ex military, I ve never lost anyone yet, and I m not going to lose you
Said this to my wife yesterday and she saw them both on this morning or something similar last week.people like this should be awarded an MBE or OBE.
We had the bloke who lost his legs in for a talk at work once I think. Very sobering and very inspirational.

and31

Original Poster:

4,165 posts

142 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
Halmyre said:
and31 said:
The thing that always stuck in my head was the South African guy that said to the bloke with his legs blown off
I m ex military, I ve never lost anyone yet, and I m not going to lose you
Said this to my wife yesterday and she saw them both on this morning or something similar last week.people like this should be awarded an MBE or OBE.
This here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cedgvg3elx2o

Simultaneously unlucky and lucky both at the same time.

We were on holiday in Australia, sitting down to dinner at a friend's house. The television was on in the corner, sound off, and only I could see it, news headlines were on. I was just about to say something when my wife nudged me and said something about not paying attention and I said "sorry, but something's happened in London".
Yes that’s a bloody difficult read.

and31

Original Poster:

4,165 posts

142 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
heisthegaffer said:
We had the bloke who lost his legs in for a talk at work once I think. Very sobering and very inspirational.
I bet!

TwigtheWonderkid

46,270 posts

165 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
Lefty said:
Watching the new Netflix documentary just now, it s pretty good and brings it all back.
The poor parents of the northern lad, just turned 21, who was down in London for the for the day for an interview, so sad. Never been on the tube before. Arrived at Euston, had to get to Farringdon, walked to Euston Sq station as he'd been told to, but got on the circle line going in the wrong direction, and died at Edgware Rd.

Compared to me. Used the tube every day to get to school, and then into the City to work for decades. But in July 2005, I was living in London but working outside London.

The people who did this were human rubbish. It's such a shame they died immediately. They should have died after hours of screaming in agony

Quhet

2,665 posts

161 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
I remember being sat in the departure lounge of Birmingham airport about to fly out to Nice. I was 16 and going out to see my cousin and his family. Remember there were a couple of TVs on silent but everyone congregating around them. It was an incredibly odd atmosphere and I remember wondering if we’d be flying over London and what that could mean for us. The next few weeks were pretty mental too with the foiled plot, Jean Charles De Menezes(sp?) and constant police and security activity going on

jtremlett

1,524 posts

237 months

Lefty

18,218 posts

217 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Lefty said:
Watching the new Netflix documentary just now, it s pretty good and brings it all back.
The poor parents of the northern lad, just turned 21, who was down in London for the for the day for an interview, so sad. Never been on the tube before. Arrived at Euston, had to get to Farringdon, walked to Euston Sq station as he'd been told to, but got on the circle line going in the wrong direction, and died at Edgware Rd.

Compared to me. Used the tube every day to get to school, and then into the City to work for decades. But in July 2005, I was living in London but working outside London.

The people who did this were human rubbish. It's such a shame they died immediately. They should have died after hours of screaming in agony
Yep, cowardly scum, the lot of them.

Pick up a gun and fight against soldiers if you want to, fine.



Gecko1978

11,428 posts

172 months

Sunday 6th July
quotequote all
Aldgate train.

My wife worked there at time we were arguing decided to get off at moorgate an walk. Was a good decision as it turned out. That day has sat with me all my life since then for years after qe drove / rode in to work. I hate trains still. I think the worst thing is after that as a nation we have not moved on, a second (failed bombing) weeks later, car attacks, stabbings, etc.

heisthegaffer

3,851 posts

213 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
It's just occurred to me that I was due at an event at the Royal Artillery gardens that evening with work which ended up being used as a temp morgue.

Such a sad day.

crofty1984

16,439 posts

219 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
I remember it happening when I was at Uni in Leeds. My mum called me up and said there's been a terrorist attack on the tube. I groggily said something along the lines of "see that's why I don't get public transport". She said I was SUPPOSED to ask if my cousin was OK. I mean, assuming she wasn't I think mum would have told me and not made me play 20 questions to figure it out! She was, as it happens.


A friend-of-a-friend story, but my housemate's friend apparently took some shrapnel to the leg, but was generally OK. Apparently the story helped him bed a LOT of ladies. So not all bad.


Sad day in all seriousness. Can't believe it's 20 years.

OMITN

2,720 posts

107 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
I recall the day. Was in a meeting at work (I worked in Manchester at the time) and someone had a Blackberry and saw the news.

A mate had overslept and got to Aldgate later than usual, so luckily missed the train that was attacked.

(It immediately brought back memories of my FIL being in NYC for work on 9/11 - had he flown from Boston 24 hours later he’d have been one of the victims).

I think, as a nation, we have played this down too much. I don’t mean we should be as hysterical as the Americans still are about 9/11, but even with our history of stoically dealing with domestic terrorism, 7/7 isn’t an event talked about enough in my view.

fido

17,751 posts

270 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
A girl that I went to school was got blown up at Edgware Road. Her mum spoke to my mum that evening and said her daughter hadn't return to her flat in London. We knew then she wasn't coming back.

DeejRC

7,650 posts

97 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
Long story short, we were due to be there, roughly around that time and location, but postponed. Went the week later.
By a similar'ish coincidence, I was on the same corner - think Id been in the shop next door - to the Soho nail bomber the day before, at the same time of day.

Always a sobering thought when you have such sliding doors moments.

London 20+yrs ago was a different world.

croyde

24,809 posts

245 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
Awful, awful.

A lady my younger brother worked with died that day.

London is a big city but when there's an atrocity or disaster it does gets me how many people in your circle of friends, acquaintances, colleagues will have had some connection with it sadly frown